Massage apparatus



; .Jan. 31,- 1928.

' E. H. PASQUE nussms APPARATUS Filed Dec. 30, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR.

A T TORNE Y.

Jam 31, 1928.

MASSAGE APPARATUS Filed Dec. 30. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 van/i y-m A TTORNE Y.

Fatented 3 1, 1928. UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFlCE.

ERNEST H. BASQUE, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

MASSAGE APPARATUS.

Application filed December 30, 1925. Serial No. 78,341.

My invention relates to improvements in The above objects and advantages tomassage, vibratory or percussor apparatus gether with others will more fully appear for therapeutic health and beauty treatment. from the following description of suitable Apparatus of this character is widely used embodiments of my invention illustrated in 5 in spondylotherapy massage and general the accompanying drawings and defined in mecanotherapy. In treatments of this kind the appended claims. it is highly desirable that the percussor or In the drawings,- vibrator deliver a sharp, quick blow to the Fig. 1 shows the complete device in use surface of the body treated irrespective of in a spinal treatment. 10 the time interval between blows. No matter Fig. 2 is an elevation of the instrument how long the lapse of time between blows, with a portion of the casing removed. each blow of the percuseor head or impact Fig. 3 is a side elevation of part of the member should be a sharp, quick blow. The operating mechanism. blows should also be delivered at evenly Fig. 4: is a side elevation of one of the ec- 15 timed intervals. centric cams.

In apparatus of this kind now in use the Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view through percussor head is usually actuated by a the structure shown in Fig. 1. crank or eccentric whereby the force and In the drawing 1 have shown a manually character of the blow delivered is deteroperable portable type of device provided 2o i d ti l b th rate of t v l during with a suitable handle 10 and a casing shell the complete stroke of reciprocation and 12 having a removable front plate 14 which therefore, bears a direct ratio between the may be held in position by means of screws elapsed time interval between blows. If the 16. The casing shell 12 is extended as at 18 blows are being delivered rapidly they are to form a support for an electric motor 20.

25 sharp and quick. It they are being deliv- A connection 22 is shown as leading to the ered slowly or with a substantial lapse of motor and the motor itself has a drive shaft ti b t h bl th are t. h p 24 suitably supported within bearings 26 and quick. and terminating in a worm screw 28 which My improved apparatus is so constructed engages a worm gear 30 mounted upon the so th t. ith t regard t th la d time b shaft 32 to drive the same. The shaft has a tween blows each blow delivered is a sharp hearing at each end in the wall of the casing and quick one. The characteristic quality member 12 as shown at 34:-

d f e f th bl f my i proved appa- I provide a plunger 36 which is internally ratus is 111 no 159 dependent. upon the sucthread ct at ltS lower end (15 at 38 to receive )0 .5 cessive rapidlty of the blows. the threaded portion 40 of an impact mem- Another distinguishing quality and ime 0 ad por on 42. Impact heads 42 portantobject of my invention is that the may be, provided in different sizes and shapes blows delivered are yieldablg to the resistt0 suit the needs Of the purpose t0 which ance imposed thereagainst. In instruments they are to be put. 0t this type now in use the percussor plunger The plunger travels through a bearing 44: is forced to travel a determined distance n the l wer end t the asing and is pro which is measured by the throw or radius of Videcl with 51 p .31 {t6 ad p d to Seat its actuating crank or eccentric. This pro thereaga t i the downward mo e duces an unsatisfactory result in that injury ment of the plunger. The upper end of the 101] may be caused it the blow-s are applied, to plunger extenos througl bearing l8 in the body areas where the bones are not well upper wall of the casing as shown in Fig. 5,

covered with soft tissue. The impact of the and a seat 50 is secured to the upper end of percussor head of my improved device is of the plunger within which is positioned one such a character as to yield to the resistance end of a coil spring the opposite end of .30 i d b th Surface i i d, The which is engaged within a screw-threaded length of the stroke of the percussor plunger cap 54 which threads into the annular chant is not fixedv The operator through suitable ber 56 that contains the spring. The screwmanipulation of the device may deliver threaded cap has a knurled outer periphery quick blows in the nature of licks or slaps 58 by means of which it may be adjustably or the blows he a vibratory charm threaded into or out of the casing 56 to in ten or lessen the tension on the spring.

ate portion consisting of a pair of spacedapart arms 60 which are curved as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. Each arm carries upon a pin 62 a roller bearing 64:. There is mounted upon the shaft 32 a pair of rotatable eccentric cam-s 66 of the shape shown in Fig. f, so mounted that when the rotation of the shaft and therefore the cams is in a clockwise direction the projecting eccentric portion 68 of each cam as it travels over the roller 64 serves to lift the plunger against the resistance of the spring 52.; As the point of this projecting eccentric portion 68 trips over the roller tithe plunger is released to the action of the constrained spring 52 and the spring throws the plunger downwardly to the limit of its projected stroke. The ad tion of the plunger is similar to that of a hammerf It is withdrawn at a determined rate of speed and at determined timed intervals dependent uponthe speed of the motor for a fixed distance. It is thrown forward, however, under the action of the spring at a rate of travel entirely independent of its rate of withdrawal. Therefore, the number s of strokes of blows delivered by the impact head l2 in a given period of time has no effect upon the force or character of the blow. The force and character of such blow is de termined' by the action of the spring which is so arranged that the impact member will deliver a sharp," quick blow irrespective of the number of blows delivered thereby withinagiven period. 7 v The operator in employingthe apparatus may so manipulate the device as to remove the weight thereof from the surface of the body and also may so manipulate the de vice as to produce a succession of sharp, quick blows or a series of vibratory impacts. The plunger may be permitted to lift entirely fromlthe surface of the'body or it may at all times beheld thereagainst. The downward travel of the plunger produced by the expansion of the spring may be limited by the resistance imposed from the surface treated, and in all cases the impact delivered possesses its essential characteristic qualities which are in no wise dependent upon its rate of withdrawal;

VJ hat I- claim is:

1. In a power driven massage percussor instrument, plunger supported for reciprocation, a percussor head carried thereby, a

spring exerting tension on said plunger, a

for reciprocation on a line perpendicular to the aizis of the shaft and having a forked bowed intermediate portion provided with rollerupon each fork engaged with a cam' on the shaft, a spring tensioned to hold the plunger to maintain the rollers in contact with the cams on the shaft, said casingprovidedwith a cup like portion at its upper end having a removable end closure, said plunger p-rovided with aremovable end por tion mounted within said cup like portion of the casing and having a bearing thereiiua spring within said cup like portion engag ing at one end the removable end of the plunger and at the opposite end the end closure of said cup like portion, said end closure of the cup like portion being adj stable with respect thereto to vary the tension of said spring.

In testimony whereof, I sign this cation.

ERNEST Peso-Us.

speci fi- 

